US Navy And Taxed Out of Shipping

Sometimes, it's the unnoted things in a news story that provide the most insight. Sometimes timing of an event provides the greatest irony. Four solitary pirates have tested the world's superpower and the new leader. Twenty great Americans demonstrated resolve and valor. One ship's captain has gone above and beyond.

And Vice President Biden's prophecy is on the verge of being proven, again. When tested, President Obama has consistently fallen short. But he cannot continue on a course of economic and military destruction without the willing approval of Congress.

And Congress cannot rubber stamp the wrong headed policies of the executive without the Whipped Blue Dogs, including our very own Representative Gordon, who only seems to represent earmarks and Washington insiders.



The US Navy has already been cut in half, primarily in the 90's. The New Administration aims to cut it even more. Reprehensible Barney Frank called for the cuts in October. Reprehensible Murtha called for the cuts this year. The 2010 DoD budget proposal from the Administration hides the cuts by adding the costs of Our Current Conflicts to the regular budget without increasing the actual budget. It is an $87+ Billion cut in defense spending from its own 2009 proposal.

Instead of spending money Constitutionally on the Common Defense of the States, the Administration is funding ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and buying US Corporations. The Whipped Blue Dogs are following the whims of Pelosi, Reid, Frank, and Obama.

But this is only part of the story. They are calling for higher taxes on investors, smokers, corporations, and employers. And this too has a tie to the piracy of the Maersk Alabama. With the first case of piracy against a US Flagged vessel in two centuries, we also see the results of increased tax and regulations on one of our traditionally strongest industries:

"There are fewer than 200 U.S.-flagged vessels in international waters, said Larry Howard, chair of the Global Business and Transportation Department at UNY Maritime College in New York. " AP, APR 08, 2009 US Aid Ship Fights off Pirates

The only US Flagged vessels on the high seas today are US Navy Vessels and those required by US Government contract to be US Flagged. Taxes and Regulations have made it simply too expensive for shipping companies to hoist our Flag. Instead, shipping companies flag their ships in places like Kuwait and Liberia, which collect the fees and regulate more sensibly or not at all while providing no protection of their own.

When the US Government continues to increase taxes on our employers, they will continue to move overseas, continue to lay off Our Workers, and more of our great industries will be lost to foreign nations. We must send a Common Sense Citizen to represent Tennesseans in 2010.

While David Evans has correctly called on Representative Gordon to return the money the US Government paid for Gordon's personal European Vacation (or demonstrate it was official business), I am focused on the Billions and Trillions of dollars the Whipped Blue Dogs are wasting of Our money.

While General Evans is concerned with the personal largesse of our opponent, I am concerned with Representative Gordons willingness to undercut Our National Defense in a time of Two Wars and even greater threat than we have seen since 1990.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

Behavior Control Through Taxation

I've spoken out against the immorality, illegality, and unconstitutional retroactive taxation blackmail of the AIG (now AIU) executives. I've clarified that it is not illegal but immoral that they accept those bonuses. Senator Dodd and Timothy Geitner were directly responsible for the legislation that allowed the bonuses, in the CEO Bailout Bill sold to us by then Senator Obama and rammed down our throats by Representative Gordon, Frank, & Pelosi.

But the 90% tax Representative Gordon voted to exact on the political embarrassment is only one such attempt to legislate behavior through taxation. It's perhaps the most obvious, but its far from the oldest.

It has long been the practice of Congress and State Legislators to put special taxes on cigarettes. Regardless of how you feel about smoking, it is legal and it is a personal decision. In the early days of this special tax, it was designed to alter behavior. When politicians realized that smokers are addicts, they began to see it as a cash cow. Recently, they increased the cigarette tax by, not to, $8.00 a carton. The government now makes more money off the tobacco industry than do the manufacturers.

Adding to this, the State of Tennessee is imposing "minimum" prices on cigarettes as of April 1st.

The 111th Congress is considering the implementation of the Chicago Politician's special tax on energy. What is the result of such programs, including the desired result of decreased energy usage? Increased energy costs and higher energy bills.

Not convinced? Pull out your most recent water bill and electric bill and compare both the price per unit and the base service charge to a 2007 bill. Compare your usage of these services as well. Many of you will find that you pay more for less service now. Utilities must achieve a certain amount of gross profit to cover the costs and they are monopolies, necessary monopolies, but monopolies nonetheless.

Many Representatives were even calling for a tax hike of 50 cents/gallon on gasoline during the $4/gallon days of last summer. With our gas tax dollars already being swindled from the upkeep of our roads, this tax was not designed to provide better roads, but make it economically unfeasible for you to drive as much as you currently do.

And despite all of this taxation, the government continues to be in centuries old debt and racking up record deficits. The 111th Congress, including our Representative Gordon plans to increase the federal debt in their short two years than did the previous 5 Congresses.

The Whipped Blue Dogs are voting exactly as Speaker Pelosi of California Idealism tells them to vote. It appears as if they are trying to bankrupt Our Nation.

The entire tax code is designed to alter behaviors, with credits for what politicians deem good behavior and penalties for what they deem bad behavior. And yet in the midst of this, Congress is considering increasing the taxes paid on charitable donations. This is mind-boggling and the conclusions that can be drawn from it are not very flattering.

It is indeed time for a new tea party. Taxes, penalty by taxation, and behavior control by taxation are out of control. We pay more now in taxes, in real dollars, in inflation adjusted dollars, in percentage of income, than did our Founding Fathers when they threw off the chains of Britain.

It may be time for Nationwide Recall Petitions of Congress. This Congress is out of control, under the whip of Pelosi. The Blue Dogs, our last hope for rational legislation, have been whipped into submission by fringe elements of a once great party that abandoned the people.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

The Blackmail Worked

The government, led by the US House of Representatives, has learned the tactics of the Mafia: Blackmail. Even as activists and capitalists are setting up tours of the homes of AIG executives for angry mobs, Government Lawyers are offering to keep the names quiet of those that return the money, with a clear implication that those that retain the money will be made public.

The Government has made the executives "a deal they can't refuse." When Chris Dodd (Senator-CT) & Timothy Geitner (Treasury Secretary) finally admitted that they had personally had a hand in the language of the CEO Bailout Bill allowing the bonuses, the House of Representatives had their back. The House, believing themselves to be riding a tide of populism, voted for a 90% tax on Specific Individuals.

While such a targeted tax on money earned prior to the legislation would not likely pass the Constitutionality test in the court system, the cost of legal representation (lawyers) would have cost more than the new government employees had earned.

It is now being reported (CNBC) that most if not all of the US executives that received a bonus have "voluntarily" returned it. Most of the remaining executives keeping the bonuses are foreign residents, i.e. not subject to the targeted tax of the US House of Representatives.

Was all of this hoopla, was this blackmail by the government worth the $50 Million returned or even the $165 Million paid in bonuses? Or was this simply something to divert our attention from the fact that Congress paid out $700 Billion to their CEO Constituencies from the pockets of the common worker? Even if all of it is returned, that's still $699.8 Billion paid out of OUR pockets.

At what cost did these executives return the money? The check came with their resignation. In the midst of turmoil at the now Government owned AIG, now AIU (they changed the name), the top managers have decided to walk out. For some, we might say "good riddance." For others, their knowledge, expertise, and experience with the problem itself may mean, we need them. We simply don't know anything about who was there, who was paid a bonus for what, and hence who left.

Those that left were targeted because of their earnings, not their performance, which may or may not be tied to their performance (should be). If the bonuses worked the way they should have, they would have been paid to those that did the most to keep the corporation in the black. But we don't know, do we?

There is a bit of good news in this: Corporations have learned that Government is not a good business partner. The entire affair has been more akin to an Organized Crime operation than what I expect of government. Several Corporations were forced into the "deal they could not refuse." Once in, they found themselves bullied by politicians that have a record of losing money.

But there is a winner in all of this: Warren Buffett, a major contributor to the Obama campaign. Buffett, through his corporation, Berkshire-Hathaway, is known for his market prowess. Even as Congress first began considering the CEO Bailout Bill, Buffett expressed a wish that he could get in on just 10% of it. Meanwhile, he had $50,000,000,000 sitting on the sidelines, waiting for just the right moment to jump in.

And as the financials market plummetted with the acts and talk of Congress, he found his mark. It wasn't the "toxic assets" and failing banks that Representative Frank and Representative Gordon were forcing the American taxpayer to buy. It was the best of breed, Goldman-Sachs, that had to be co-erced into the bailout that he bought into.

We don't know when exactly he bought in, but on November 3, 2008, GS was selling at $89.09/share and on November 20th at $52.00/share. As of March 23, 2009, it is selling at $111.93/share. That's a gain of 25% to 115% gain in less than 6 months on a stock still considered undervalued by the very system that Obama supporter, Warren Buffett uses.

Warren Buffett is an astute investor and one of the richest men in the world. Many people shook their heads when he so forcefully backed both Hillary and Obama last year in the campaign. Who would have thought then that the tens of thousands he personally donated would earn him literally billions of dollars? Should there be a targeted tax on his earnings? Will there be politicians riding a tide of populism to call for it? NO.

As immoral as it is to back a political candidate for personal profit, it is not illegal. Though it may be satisfying to "tax the rich," to "stick it to the man," to forcefully recover those profits through targeted taxation, it is not Constitutional. It is not legal, nor should it be.

But there is more to this story. Goldman-Sachs, which was bullied into accepting taxpayer money it didn't want, has realized that Tony Soprano would be a better business partner than the US Congress. They didn't want the money. They didn't need the money. And they are working on ways to get rid of the dirty money as quickly as they can.

Goldman-Sachs is looking around at the strings and demands being made on others. Perhaps, they will also pick up the best and brightest from AIG executives, even as they rid themselves of the strings tied to government money.

And a final note on AIG, which is now 80% owned by the US Taxpayer. It is no longer named AIG. It is paying large amounts of (taxpayer) money to change its name to AIU, though many are preferring a more appropriate name IOU, for the failing US Government owned company.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Treasury, parent of the IRS, has grown to a prominence and to power, previously unknown in this Nation.

And I cannot help but find poetic justice in Code Pink having turned on Barney Frank and other of their allies that used them in the anti-Iraq campaign.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

The Next Stimulus Package?

The President-Elect is talking up another Trillion Dollar stimulus package. Unlike the UAW Bailout Bill and the CEO Bailout bill supported by Rep. Gordon, the next bill, even if huge and 1/3rd of annual tax collections may actually have some positive parts to it.

It will add 10% to the National debt, a debt that has taken us 200 years to accumulate, but it may actually have spending that positively effects the economy, the citizens, and is in the purview of the government, even if it is mostly in the state or local realm of government.

The President-Elect is talking about tax cuts (which he campaigned against) and spending on infrastructure. In the former, it appears that it was simply rhetoric, campaign promises he knew he would break, or was too naive to know that it wouldn't work. At any rate, tax cuts are generally a positive thing. The more of your money you get to keep the better.

Unfortunately, I expect more out-of-control spending, rather than the correct and necessary spending cuts to go along with the tax cuts that are needed.

As to the 2nd part, infrastructure spending; this may be beneficial, though the amount he's talking about is worrisome. Already California and New York are lining up their pork projects and bailout bids. Though the TVA flooded my ancestral lands, burying them under lakes, the fact remains that it put Americans to work.

If, and that's a big if, this package is done right, it can have a significant effect on the economy and employment, beginning with the construction trades. It may just be the package needed. I'll withhold judgement until we see it.

The problem remains that in a 12 month period over two calender years, Congress, including our Representative have added 20% to the National Debt, not including the Annual Budget and first 10% was squandered on nationalizing banks and bailing out the very organization that strangled the American Car companies.

The problem is we have the same credit cards in the same college kids hands in this Congress as we did the last. They are following the dictates of Speaker Pelosi en masse. Corrupt Chicago Politicians, NY Elitists, and California Idealists continue to attain the rubber stamp of The Party, including our Blue Dog Democrat. Representative Gordon, you must break from the dictates of the far left. Please demonstrate that you are a free thinker and a true Representative of the Common Sense Citizens of Tennessee, not a lackey of Pelosi, Reid, and Obama, not a lackey of New York CEO's and Washington lobbyists.

Tennessee Taylor©2009, TNT, all rights reserved

Whose Money is it Anyway?

The fact is that the eyes of the Citizens of Cannon County glaze over when Congress talks about Billions and Trillions of dollars. It's hard for us to conceptualize that amount of money and numbers can be boring to all but IRS agents and Accountants.

It's boring talk but necessary. I apologize that I delve into the numbers as often as I do. We're not talking about Monopoly Money, no matter how casually our Politicians through it around, no matter how easily they choose to spend another few billion dollars.

But whose money is it? It is Ours! It is collected from us by the IRS. It does not belong to politicians. It is not taken solely from the people of Belle Meade. It is paid for with your purchases at the Gas Station, the Home Furnishings Store, and the Corner Store, even when you don't see it.

It is not just what you see taken out of your paycheck, but also the part your employer pays the Government rather than you before you see your paycheck. It is what you pay for your groceries so Kroger can pay their corporate taxes. It is what you pay for milk that is paid to the IRS rather than the dairy farmer.

Of course the government requires money to operate. We elect Representatives to responsibly decide how to spend our money. Instead, the California Idealists and the New York Elitists have chosen to earmark our money to reward their supporters. They do so with the backscratching support of Tennessee Politicians.

They've created a perception that this money belongs to someone else. They've marketed federal spending as free money, but the real goal is to create dependency and buy votes and finances for their campaigns.

Our government needs to get out of the business of non-profits, real estate ventures, and bad investments. The role of the government is not to act as United Way but to provide for a united defense. There is not an unlimited supply of money, not in our paychecks and not from our paychecks. The authorized debt of the taxpayer, i.e. the Federal Debt, cannot continue to be raised with the vote of our politician in support of his Chicago taskmasters.

TNTaylor©2008, Tennesse Taylor, all rights reserved.

The Next Stimulus Package?

We cannot afford another "Emergency" Economic Stimulus Bill. Our Congress is acting like College Kids with a credit card we have to pay. Their "emergency" spending is out of control and approaching the amount that the government expects to collect in total tax revenue, before we even pay for the day to day operations of the government.

Drunken Sailors are more thrifty than Our "Representatives." At least Drunken Sailors stop spending when their pockets are empty or they pass out.

And at the same time Multi-Millionaire Executives of the Big Three are asking the hard workers of Tennessee that get paid on average less than $40,000/year to bailout the Employees of Detroit making twice as much. This is nothing short of greed. Before they ask the taxpayers of Tennessee to bail them out, they need to cut back on their own part of the stranglehold that may very well kill the Companies making the cars we love.

Before they reach into the pockets of our workers, they need to spend their own money. Their factory workers are making twice as much and more than the people they are asking to save them from their own excesses. And until, they cut back on their own wages from the top to the bottom, they have no business asking us to pad their wallets.

In less than 12 months, we are seeing the runaway spending of Congress add more than 20% to the Taxpayer Debt. We are seeing them hide it away in "Emergency" spending that adds more in debt than our Nation accumulated in its first 200+ years.

Supporting Evidence:
The Federal Government expects to collect $2.7 Trillion dollars in taxes in 2009 (which started for the government on October 1st, 2008).

Before any "Emergency" Spending bills, such as the CEO Bailout Bill and Economic Stimulus Bills, the 2009 Federal Budget calls for spending $3.1 Trillion.

We all know the Economy is struggling. We feel it. And I've already demonstrated that the average taxpayer paid $1232 plus interest to get that first stimulus check of $0 to $1200.

In October, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama and Bart Gordon decided to add another $700 Billion to the Spending of the United States in order to bail out their CEO Constituency. They ignored us when we told them "No" and we were given no real option on the ballot of November 4th, 2008 to send Representative Gordon to retirement.

President-Elect Obama has proposed another $800 Billion in "Emergency" Economic Stimulus Bill and we don't know yet whether the Congressman from the 6th District will rubber stamp this move or not.

Those two bills would saddle us with $1.5 Trillion in un budgeted debt at the same time that Congress considers bailing out the Big 3 Automakers and is added to the debt incurred by the first Economic Stimulus Bill that cost us more than it gave us.

When combined with the request from the Big Three and the previous "Stimulus" bill, that's $1.8 Trillion in "Emergency" Spending against Revenues of $2.7 Trillion. And we add that to the $3.1 Trillion for day to day expenses in the 2009 Federal Budget. That's $4.6 Trillion in spending meaning an additional $2.1 Trillion in debt, this year alone.

Our Nation cannot afford to continue these "Emergency" spending bills. The Budget before the "Emergency" was already adding more in debt than it was paying in interest. There must be cuts in spending. Any Common Sense Citizen would understand that we can't spend twice as much as we make.

TNTaylor©2008, Tennessee Taylor, all rights reserved.

Tax & Spend

Did we send Representatives to Congress or did we give a Credit Card to a College Kid?

There are 303,824,640 American Citizens as of July 2008 according to the CIA Factbook. An estimated 45.4% of Americans are taxpayers. An estimated 20.1% are under 15 and another 12.7% are over 64. Though 153,100,000 Americans are capable of entering the workforce, only about 137,936,400 Citizens are paying for the operation of our government.

So, when we start dividing up the cost of Congress' Spending Sprees, it's not the cost per citizen but the cost per taxpayer. The Federal Government collects $9,000 per citizen but of that only $5,749.00 is noticeable (Federal Withholding, 1/2 of Social Security and 1/2 of Medicare Taxes). The rest comes in hidden taxes, in higher costs of goods (Corporate taxes, Excise Taxes, Tariffs, Gasoline Taxes, Death Taxes, and Tobacco Taxes are all passed on to consumers.)

But it's much worse than that.
The Federal Government collects $19,911.50 per Taxpayer. The Federal Legislature spends $22,475.95 per Taxpayer. In other words, each taxpayer adds $2,564.45 in debt in 2009. Where does your money go?

$19,911.50 taxes per taxpayer to the Government
$22,475.95 spent per taxpayer by Congress.
$ 1,885.08 paid on Debt Interest.
$ 4,668.82 Social Security
$ 3,698.23 DoD: The Defense of the Nation
$ 2,957.89 Medicare
$ 1,623.93 Medicaid (partially matched by state funds)
$ 2,609.90 Unemployment & Welfare payments
$ 1,232.55 paid out for Economic Stimulus Bill (the check for $300 to $1,200 you received.)
$ 1,052.66 GWOT
$ 510.38 Dept of Health & Human Services
$ 429.18 Dept of Education
$ 324.79 Veterans' Administration
$ 279.11 HUD
$ 277.66 State Department/Diplomacy
$ 272.59 Homeland Security
$ 181.24 Dept of Energy
$ 150.79 Dept of Agriculture
$ 147.17 Justice Department (FBI/Attorney General)
$ 127.60 NASA
$ 90.62 Dept of Treasury (Money Counters)
$ 34.07 Legislative Branch
(and other Departments such as the EPA, Department of Labor, etc.)

Hidden in the figures above are "earmarks." Earmarks are specific spending that may or may not have anything to do with the Department to which it is budgeted. A classic example is the money in the Emergency Defense spending bill earmarked for New Orleans and other domestic spending. While it may or may not have been warranted spending, it was not Defense and should not be labeled as part of the DoD budget.

There were 2,275 earmarks on the DoD budget for $7.8 Billion. While these are added to the official costs of defending our Citizens, our Economy, and our way of life, they don't necessarily have anything to do with Defense.

There were 11,524 earmarks costing $16.5+ Billion in 2008 and much of the popularity of Representative Gordon came from his earmarks for Middle Tennessee, but our entire delegation was only able to garner $120.6 Million in Tennessee earmarks.

To get these goodies, Our Congressmen must support the earmarks of others. For the $119.62 per taxpayer in Earmarks, Tennessee received back $0.87 per taxpayer.

Meanwhile, the People of Petersburg have been forced to help pay the $192,000 to the Academy for Urban School Leadership in Chicago, IL as earmarked by Rep Rahm Emanuel, proposed Chief of Staff to Barack Obama. http://earmarks.omb.gov/2008-earmarks/earmark_253022.html

And though Auburntown residents will be forced to Beg for Cannon County to get back funds they paid in, another $192,000 was earmarked for an afterschool program at the ABC Unified School District in Cerritos, CA. http://earmarks.omb.gov/2008-earmarks/earmark_253021.html

Congress has become like a teenager with their first credit card, a card they don't have to pay. While everyone would like to have such a card, the taxpayers of Tennessee have to pay the bill. We have to reel in the spending habits of the children we have sent off to Washington.

Was that Stimulus Check you received really worth $1232.55? And you'll be paying the interest for decades to get that check. It costs the taxpayer a lot of money to send our money to Washington, a lot more than we get back after the bureacrats are paid to collect it, to count it, to process it and then to hear our local civil servants beg for some of it to come back.

And that $2609.90 in Unemployment & Welfare you're paying would equal $38,547.61/year for 9,339,100 Americans that were not working. I don't know anyone getting a $741.30 week Unemployment check so that money is going elsewhere. About 2/3rds of that is going elsewhere.

Now, I'm not an accountant. I'm just a Tennessee Veteran that knows a little math, but I do know that we can't afford to keep adding to our debt and hence our interest payments. I do know that it isn't financially responsible to keep adding to what the taxpayer is forced to pay. I know we have to cut spending.

Any Common Sense Congressman would understand this. A Common Sense Congressman would stand against the Waste of Washington. A Common Sense Congressman would recognize that it is a poor return on investment to pay $119.62 for an 87 cent paycheck.

TNTaylor©2008, Tennessee Taylor, all rights reserved.

Job Creation & Government

When the economy turns south, the people look for someone to blame. When a worker is laid off, they want to know what caused them to take back from the Unemployment Insurance (tax) they paid into through their employers. In such times as these we often blame the government but what is the government's role in job creation?

Congress does have the ability to influence the economy and governments do have a role in creating an environment that will create jobs. And in times like these, we see examples of not only the natural cycle of economies, but also how governments effect those cycles.

There are basically two things a government can do to spur an economy, as taught me by my Economics Professor: Spend More or Tax Less.

In September, the Nation saw unemployment rates hold steady at 6.1% while Tennessee saw rates jump to 7.2% and Alabama rates declined to 4.9% in August. Meanwhile Michigan is very different and experiencing harder times with an 8.7% unemployment rate. http://www.milmi.org/

http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/422:

“The downturn in the national economy is affecting all states,” said Commissioner Neeley. “Tennessee, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing job losses across all industries. There were some small gains in education and health services and local government education jobs.”

The business survey shows August-to-September gains in government employment, increasing by 10,700.

http://governorpress.alabama.gov/pr/pr-2008-09-23-01-navistar_engine-photo.asp:

The Governor (Riley) also noted in his remarks that Alabama was one of only five states in the nation that saw its unemployment rate drop last month. The state’s August unemployment rate stood at 4.9 percent, while the national rate increased to 6.1 percent.

Tennessee and Alabama are not significantly different regionally nor in our workers, but there is a profound difference in the number of workers employed. The difference between our states is the manner in which our governments approach job creation. Governor Bob Riley has aggressively sought to attract business to his state and created an environment friendly to new businesses. Governor Bredesen has added more government workers.

Economies are driven by workers and consumers, and their perceptions and emotions. Investors attempt to predict the emotions of consumers on the Stock Market and create perceptions and emotions that drive the market.

But financial hardships are very real. We feel them as we pay our monthly bills. Investors feel them when they are on the wrong side of the mad herd called Wall Street. Politicians capitalize on those emotions and/or realities at the ballot box.

In Tennessee, we have great workers and thrifty consumers. Our people are not the problem. The problem is that our politicians have played on our emotions to legislate financial irresponsibility.

The Party told us we were "racists" for expecting banks to make good loans that could be repaid. The Party told us we were "uncaring" for expecting our neighbors to manage their finances and pay their own bills and only buy things they could afford. The Party told us we were "unpatriotic" to not want to pay more taxes. The Party told us that they would make our tax invisible to us by making the Corporations pay it before they passed on those costs to us.

The Party is wrong about us. Tennesseans are Generous, Responsible, and Hard-Working. We are Patriotic and Self-Reliant. When adversity hits our neighbors, we help, but when financially irresponsible politicians demand more money from our sweat, we tell them "No."

Why are Foreign Automakers moving their plants to Alabama and are Automakers successful in Tennessee while General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford seem to withering on the vine in Michigan? The Michigan government has created an environment hostile to business while the Alabama government has created one conducive to business. As a result, taxes are lower in the South, employment is higher and businesses continue to seek out places with good workers to employ.

I do hope that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler survive their hard times. I own or have owned products from each of them. But the outlook is dismal. They are being strangled by their inability to reduce costs. And I can not justify spending twice as much on a truck than my father paid for the house I grew up in.

Taxes effect us whether Congress hides them or not. We pay them either in higher costs at the cash register or decreased income from our employers. The answer in these trying economic times is not more taxes. The answer is not more government spending. We know best what to spend our hard earned money on.

And while it may seem fitting to stick "the corporations" with more taxes, it not only gets paid by workers and consumers, but reduces incentives for employers to open new factories and offices, reducing employment and hence paychecks. The Job Creation role of government must take into account the competition of other governments to attract employers.

And when our politicians tell us to add a Trillion dollars to our debt to bailout the economy, we must ask them whether we are bailing out CEO's and their multi-million dollar golden parachutes, or the workers. And when a politician votes for a CEO bailout as did the Representative of the 6th district, against Our Will, we have a right to an explanation as to why our hard earned money should be given to fat executives to spend on resorts. And when we find that explanation lacking, we have a right to change Our Representative to Congress.

If we continue along the path we are on, government will continue to grow. It is already the largest growth sector in our State economy. We do not wish to have a choice between a government job or a government handout, but that is the direction our politicians are taking us.

TNTaylor©2008, Tennessee Taylor, all rights reserved.

Education & Experience

There is no substitute for Experience. No amount of education can substitute for the knowledge gained from doing.

A truly enlightening time in my life was my experience in Africa. It taught me lessons on many subjects, including politics. I was able to see the ineffectiveness of the UN and the corruption of politicians in its raw state.

The complexities necessary to fool the educated people of the United States were not necessary and not used there. The people there placed trust in the educated elites and the elites used that trust to betray the people. Many well-meaning people of Europe and America were there to "help" these "poor, uneducated" people but their methods often made things worse, not better.

While they gave out food, they robbed the farmers of their income and while robbing the farmers of income, they robbed the land of its farms. The well-meaning Westerners stole the self-respect by creating an environment of begging, with "free."

When people do not earn but are given, they become dependent on the giver. When they lose their ability to earn, they lose their self-respect. "It is better to give than to receive." Giving empowers those that do and has the power to enslave those that receive.

Those well-meaning Westerners pitied the people of Africa but they did not respect them. They feared the people of Africa but did not listen to them. They threw cash out of the windows of their cars but would not shake the hands of Africans. They thought they were better than the people they were "helping."

A person is not better than another because of their education, their bank account, or their job. We each have a part in the Success of Our Nation. Our Farmers are important. Our Plumbers are important. Our Carpenters are important. And when it comes time to decide on Agriculture, it's a good idea to bring in Farmers for advice, not just a Harvard Law Graduate.

Our politicians continue to tell us that they want to help us. They tell us they will help us by spending the money we earn better than we can. They tell us they will help us by giving us "free" stuff paid for with our sweat. They tell us they know best the morals our children should learn. They tell us we need to be ruled by Chicago Politicians chosen by NY elitists paid for by California Celebrities. And they warn their members to get their shots before they come see us at NASCAR races.

So, the next time a politician offers you something for "free," ask them how expensive that really is. Ask them how many of your tax dollars it will take to pay the bureaucrats they'll pay before they give you back your "free" stuff. And when they claim it will only cost $4 per American for a $5 trinket, ask them how many Americans are paying how much and who gets the trinket. You'll often find that you are being asked to pay $4 for you and each member of your family while also adding interest to the debt and seeing an able but lazy man get a trinket for his vote.

We are supposed to have a Government of the People for the People, but we instead have entrenched Washington Insiders who think they can fool us. It is time to send some good old Tennessee Common Sense to Washington. It is time to send a Veteran to Congress that will call a plumber, not a lawyer, when the pipes are leaking.

Living In The Big Time

After watching the Big & Rich video "Big Time," I reflect on just how pertinent those words are to Middle Tennessee, Our Citizens, and this potential campaign.

Keep in mind that Big & Rich have not yet in any way endorsed this campaign. John Rich has demonstrated his love for this Nation and his gratitude to Our Veterans & Troops. Perhaps, in the future, he'll allow us the use of his material, but until he authorizes it, I have to respect his property:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svGhuzI4_2U

When you meet me, I may be driving my beat up old work truck. I wanted a workhorse that I wouldn't be worried about dinging up. It has a strong drivetrain that takes no issue with pulling a trailer full of rock, lumber, or trees. It ain't pretty but it gets the job.

Or I may be on the Harley, enjoying the backroads of our District. It's the only new vehicle I've owned. My reward to myself for my time in Afghanistan. At 40+ miles per gallon, it's great during times of high gas prices and it's therapeutic. I find few things more relaxing than taking in the sights and smells of our farms and forests.

When I saddle up, I'm not in a hurry, so if you are, I'll try to find a place to let you pass.

I'm a simple man but that does not mean I'm a stupid man. I look at the convulutated difficult language that Congress passes as legislation and know that it's unnecessary. There is little valid reason for the lawyeresque language they write into law. I can only imagine that its designed to keep us in the dark as to what they're up to.

My decades in the Military helps me interpret the stuff but I ask you, how did a few Senators write 450+ pages of legalese in 2 days? How many of our Senators and Representatives actually had time to read the measures they voted into law? Why did these Used Car Salesmen push it through with such urgency when Our Citizens had seen the "crisis" coming for months and years? Why should banks in NYC be forced to accept the money loaned from China and collected with interest from Smithville?

The same elitist politicians that tell us that we aren't smart enough to choose our own retirement investments have created a US Taxpayer Investment Fund, buying up banks with tax money. We have a Chicago Politician telling us we need to be able to sell our investments more readily at the very time that stocks are cheap. At the very time that Warren Buffett is buying the best companies on the market at rock bottom prices, our "representatives" are using OUR money and charging us interest on it to buy the worst investments on Wall Street.

We are now the shareholders in banks, whether we like it or not. But unlike most shareholders, we have no vote in how things are ran or even if we wanted to be owners of the company. We have no say in how they use our money or if they use it for their high paid executives to hobnob at British or Californian resorts. We cannot fire the executives that caused the mess nor stop them from collecting millions in "golden parachutes" while they did. We were unable in 2008 to fire the politicians that forced this down our throats.

And they are telling us that we have not only the duty to pay our own mortgages but also the mortgages of those that don't pay their own!? Why should our responsible citizens who pay their bills on time be taxed more so that those that don't pay their bills on time are rewarded?

If I told you that your neighbors were in need and that we asked each to throw what we can into the kitty to help them out, the Citizens of Our District would do so. But if I told you we collected $3.2 Million and after paying the bureacrats and shysters that got our neighbors into the mess, we'd have $320,000 to help, you'd tell me to get lost. We are a caring and generous people but we're a bit smarter with our money than that. But that is what Our Government is forcing us to do.

These economic policies of Washington would be like a farmer going out to his field and finding the weakest bull and the weakest cows and using them as his breeding program while taking the best and strongest to the slaughterhouse. It would be like a forest owner cutting down his oak for firewood he didn't need and replanting it with Sumac.

Yes, it costs money to run a government. There is a need to collect taxes. But the goal of government should not be to become our Nation's primary provider of employment. Our citizens should not have to work 2-4 days a week to pay the salaries of bureacrats, politicians and government.

We need to look at the roles and responsibilities of governments. We need to identify what should be provided at what level of government most efficiently. We need to bring government spending under control and that means cutting the waste of a bloated government overstepping its bounds and interfering in our lives unnecessarily. But the citizens of Sparta should not be paying for Chicago Students to be indoctrinated in a particular political ideology.

The Cookeville High School should not be forced to use the textbooks legislated by California. And yes, when the State of California bans words from the authorized textbooks of its school system, it effects the textbooks available for schools the Cookeville Schoolboard can purchase.

Would you prefer to send your tax dollars to Washington to divide up between Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, paying the bureacrats that collect it, audit it, count it, and choose where to send it or would you prefer to send your tax dollars directly to the SchoolBoard that you have chosen to administer Our Children's Schools?